This is a fun series that acts like a western series taking place in a place like historical China. Although many historical Chinese series have themes like severe ***ism, women having no value aside from their appearances, relentless overbearing revenge, and rape becoming romance, this series has none of those and instead takes values that readers in English-speaking countries may be more likely to agree with. Although this is in a culture where women have limited rights, several female characters in this series stand up for themselves and overcome those norms. The MC is a general, another woman is a soldier who dreams of becoming a general, one is a empress leading her country, and yet another is a skilled and cunning information broker. Although I like Chinese series, this is the kind of series I would prefer to read.The characters are all fantastic, and several of them show depth, even if they're villains. It's great to see how they all grow and develop.The story development is excellent, and the plot really picks up after the second volume. Although some parts of this series are slow, it's doesn't drag things on.It would be nice if more description could be given for each of the various countries involved. They all just give the impression that they are each like each other and have the same government system and cultures without any distinctive features.The writing appears to be from someone who isn't a native English-speaker, and parts of it don't make sense. However, the edited chapters are much more coherent and easier to follow. That said, I still used a lot of spirit stones to catch up and would recommend this series for anyone liking a light, entertaining read.
